Nintendo have been ushering themselves away from the public spectacle of press conferences at E3 and over the past two years have instead opted for screening a direct to their dedicated contingent of fans. The model has worked wonders, and it was obvious that Nintendo would opt for the same style again at this year’s E3. And while Sony and Microsoft’s conferences are filled with third party games among their first party lineup, Nintendo have relied upon their first party lineup to keep gamers excited. It’s what Nintendo are known for, and this year’s E3 will again be another interesting week for Nintendo to show off what they’ve been up to. Here’s what we want to see from them this year.
Toby
Star Fox – Gameplay Trailer and Release Date
Having grown up with Star Fox 64, it makes sense for me to be particularly excited over the return of one of the best representatives Nintendo has to offer. Miyamoto promised that Star Fox would be out in 2015 and would release before the next Zelda, so it makes a lot of sense to show off what the Fox is up to on the biggest stage (albeit via direct).
We haven’t seen too much of Star Fox for Wii U and a gameplay trailer capped off with a release date would surely do no harm in continuing to show why Nintendo fans have been so loyal to the Wii U and the company. Nintendo has always made exceptional first party titles and Star Fox is one of the biggest. If Zelda doesn’t come out this year (which seems very likely) Star Fox will be the big game for Nintendo, so it seems a probable option to show off what gamers can expect to be playing later in the year.
Third Party Support for Wii U – Please…
It’s blatantly obvious that the Wii U has had a dismal time since it’s launch back in 2012. While the Xbox 360 and PS3 were in their swan song years, the Wii U struggled to garner support after its launch and third party support faltered very quickly. The news only got worse a couple of weeks ago when Slightly Mad Studios — the developer behind Project CARS — admitted that the game was running at below 30FPS while running at 720p. Be it the limitation of hardware or something else entirely, Nintendo’s home console is light years behind the PS4 and Xbox One in third party support and it needs to rectify that in some way.
While the console won’t be getting anything like Batman: Arkham Knight, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or the next Need For Speed – something has to give and third party developers need to give the console another chance, or else Nintendo run the risk of further damaging the lifecycle of the Wii U. I really like the first party games on offer, but what happens when the months between first party releases grow further apart? Indie games are great to keep things interesting, but when there’s consistent releases on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – it’s hard to want to pick up the controller and feel enticed to play. Nintendo need to work some magic with the third party developers and get them on board, or problems will surely arise for the fledgling console.
Jayden
Super Mario Sunshine 2 – Reveal Trailer
Mario is quintessentially Nintendo, but in recent times we haven’t seen a lot from the moustachioed plumber outside of the 2.5D ‘classic’ platformer titles. While a Super Mario Galaxy would be fantastic to see on the Wii U, I’d be even more excited to see the Delfino Isles revisited in HD.
A remaster on the Wii U of the original Sunshine would probably sell pretty well, but a full new title would be much better for fans. Super Mario Sunshine was a really unique take on the Mario 64 formula back in the days of the Gamecube and it earned its place in the heart of many a player because of that. Nintendo, please bring back the isles; I’m dying to ride a Yoshi across the rooftops of unsuspecting islanders in the pursuit of fruit once again.
Metroid U – Reveal Trailer
It’s been a long time since legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran graced our screens outside of the poorly received title Other M or in Super Smash, but the series has a lot to offer the world of Nintendo. From its classic roots in the platformer genre to the stellar Metroid Prime trilogy for Gamecube, and even some of its handheld entries – it’s absolutely time for a title worthy of the series’ legacy.
I’d personally love to see an origin tale of sorts, taking us through the early days of Samus’ bounty hunting career. It could also quite easily pick up after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and put us in the boots of an experienced space traveller. Either way, letting fans know that something is on the way might be enough to keep them excited after Zelda U and Star Fox have hit the Wii U.
Agus
Project Zero Wii U – Confirmed Release Date and Trailer
During the April Nintendo Direct, the company confirmed a westernised local release for the survival horror game Project Zero Wii U. The game originally came out in Japan last year and with the Western market missing out on the previous game because of some unknown technical reason – Project Zero Wii U makes it one of the most wanted games.
I’m hoping they announce a confirmed release date than a vague ‘it’s coming out this year’ – as someone who hasn’t bought the Wii U console as of yet, I would definitely pick one up straight away because I was a huge fan of the first two games. Let’s go Nintendo, we know you want our monies.
Animal Crossing Wii U – Reveal Trailer
Come on Nintendo, you can do it. Don’t let you dreams be dreams Nintendo.
Nintendo ain’t dead, they just don’t seem to know what fans want and fans want more Animal Crossing. Yes you can Nintendo. I’m maybe new when it comes to Animal Crossing with only ever starting from New Leaf but heck – that game sucked up so many hours of my life.
Another console seller for me, if Nintendo drops this during the E3 direct (which is fairly unlikely), I would go out and buy a Wii U.
What are you excited to see during Nintendo’s E3 direct? Let us know in the comments!